spring – The National Wildlife Federation Bloghttp://blog.nwf.org
The National Wildlife Federation's blogFri, 16 Feb 2018 20:07:40 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.413925931216 Photographs of Animals Caught in the Rainhttp://blog.nwf.org/2015/06/16-photographs-of-animals-caught-in-the-rain/
http://blog.nwf.org/2015/06/16-photographs-of-animals-caught-in-the-rain/#commentsTue, 02 Jun 2015 14:38:29 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=106852Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I cherished moments caught in the rain. I’d toss on a jacket and continue on my way. I still view rainy days as an opportunity to experience the natural world through a new lens. These stunning photographs from the annual National Wildlife Photo Contest might make you love (or at least embrace) the beauty of rain!

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2015/06/16-photographs-of-animals-caught-in-the-rain/feed/18106852Finding a Fawn: What To Dohttp://blog.nwf.org/2015/04/finding-a-fawn-what-to-do/
http://blog.nwf.org/2015/04/finding-a-fawn-what-to-do/#commentsWed, 15 Apr 2015 06:55:32 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=103137Every springtime, the National Wildlife Federation gets numerous emails and phone calls from concerned people asking the following question:

“I found an abandoned fawn! Where can I take it?”

The answer is almost always the same:

The fawn isn’t abandoned and you should leave it right where it is.

Read on to find out more about what’s going on with these adorable baby deer that seem too small to be left on their own.

Resting fawn (Photo by Maureen Smith/NWF)

Lone Fawns are Not Abandoned

There is a strong probability that you did not find an abandoned fawn. Female deer hide their newborn fawns in tall grass or brush and move some distance away to feed to avoid drawing predators to their offspring. With the proliferation of deer in suburban areas, sometimes this happens right in our own yards. The fawn simply waits in hiding until its mother returns. Soon, the fawns will be strong enough to follow the does and run from predators, and they no longer need to spend hours alone in hiding.

A “pet” deer approaches a hunter. Photo credit: Stephen Moyer

Though it seems that they are vulnerable, these young fawns are not totally helpless. Their spotted pelts look like dappled sunlight on the forest floor and offer great camouflage. They do not have strong scent that would attract predators. Fawns are also programmed to keep totally still and quiet when hiding while their mother forages. The combination of the physical attributes and the behavior of both does and fawns are remarkably successful at limiting depredation at such a vulnerable time.

“Rescuing” Fawns is Illegal

Wild animals don’t make good pets, and deserve to live wild and free. In fact, for some species there there are laws to protect wildlife from being taken from the wild by people. Well-meaning people who take fawns out of the wild and raise them violate these laws, often unwittingly and nearly always unnecessarily. Come spring, animal rescue centers are overloaded with “abandoned” fawns that never needed help from humans in the first place. You might mean well, but taking a fawn out of the wild is essentially “fawn-napping.”

And consider this: illegally raising deer fawns greatly reduces their chances of survival. It is difficult for an untrained person to provide a quality diet and captive care, and due to a hand-raised deer’s lack of fear of humans, these animals are more likely to be hit by cars, killed by dogs, or shot by hunters. The photo to the right shows what someone did to try and protect a “pet” wild deer from hunters: they put a collar on it. Unfortunately, this deer was totally unafraid of people, and walked right up to a hunter. Luckily for this particular animal, the hunter just snapped this picture and let it go on its way. The next time it approaches a human it will probably not be so lucky.

When to Intervene

There are cases where it is okay to help lone fawns. If you notice that a fawn is clearly injured or that it is near a dead adult doe, then it is acceptable to seek help. Start by calling your local animal control department or nature center, who can either take the animal or help locate a licensed wildlife rehabilitator who can. If a hidden fawn is discovered on your property, it’s up to you to keep your pet dogs and your children away from it.

Please do not closely approach or handle wildlife .

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2015/04/finding-a-fawn-what-to-do/feed/71031375 Frogs Coming to a Pond Near Youhttp://blog.nwf.org/2014/03/5-frogs-coming-to-a-pond-near-you/
http://blog.nwf.org/2014/03/5-frogs-coming-to-a-pond-near-you/#commentsWed, 19 Mar 2014 17:16:41 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=93135The beginning of spring signals the return of frogs to local vernal pools, streams, and wetlands. Frogs are amphibians, which means “double life,” because they live part of their lives on land, and part of it in water. That means they are extremely sensitive to polluted water and the disappearance of habitat, like wetlands. You’d be helping not only the following frogs, but an abundance of other wildlife by keeping water clean and protected.

Even if you don’t see the frogs, you might get a glimpse of their eggs in nearby ponds. This is a wood frog egg mass at the NWF HQ pond in Reston by Dani Tinker.

1. California Red-legged Frog

This frog has been eliminated from 70% of its previous range, and now is found almost exclusively in California. At one point in time, over 80,000 red-legged frogs were harvested annually for their legs. They are now federally listed as threatened. You can help conserve these frogs by protecting local wetlands and spreading the word that non-natives should not be released into the wild.

California red-legged frog by Beth Pratt.

2. Wood Frog

When the temperature drops below freezing, wood frogs freeze solid without dying. During this deep hibernation, their breathing and heartbeat stop. Nearly 70% of the frog’s body water gradually turns to ice. You can help wood frogs with a backyard pond. They’ll visit during the spring to mate and lay their eggs, after which they will return to the woods. We have them here at our NWF Headquarters pond, and they are fun to watch and listen to.

3. Spring Peeper

Their scientific name is Pseudacriscrucifer, the second partreferring to the “X” on their backs, which can assist in identification. Spring peepers prefer wooded areas near water, where they mate and lay eggs. Keep an eye out for them at night, as they are nocturnal. Even if you don’t see these little frogs, you’ll likely hear them in early spring.

4. Cricket Frog

Both the northern cricket frog (Acris crepitans) and the southern cricket frog (Acris gryllus) are members of the tree frog family, but do not live in trees. The southern cricket frog can jump upward over 60 times its body length, the equivalent of a person jumping up a 38 story building! You can cater to cricket frogs by providing shallow water with plenty of vegetation. Take a look at how to create a marsh in your yard.

5. Pacific Chorus Frog

I can’t call myself an Oregonian without including the Pacific chorus frog. It’s the smallest and most commonly seen and heard frog not only in Oregon, but much of the west coast of the United States. The call of male Pacific chorus frogs is often heard in the background of Hollywood movies. They can be rather noisy at certain times during the year, something to consider as you decide on the placement of your backyard pond.

You Can Help Frogs and Amphibians

You can attract amphibians to your yard, assist with citizen science, build a pond, create a backyard marsh and more. Protecting clean water, especially wetland habitats, is another critical way to help frogs and amphibians thrive. Learn more.

Create a haven for amphibians in your yard by transforming it into a Certified Wildlife Habitat!

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2014/03/5-frogs-coming-to-a-pond-near-you/feed/993135Camping With Kids Made Easy- Facebook Chat Recaphttp://blog.nwf.org/2013/06/camping-with-kids-made-easy-facebook-chat-recap/
http://blog.nwf.org/2013/06/camping-with-kids-made-easy-facebook-chat-recap/#respondMon, 24 Jun 2013 18:58:16 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=81608Planning on camping out with the little ones this summer? National Wildlife Federation’s Be Out There Movement has all of the best camping tips to make your next overnight stay in the woods or backyard as easy as 1, 2, 3. After talking to parents, just like you, about how they prepare for their upcoming camping trips, Be Out There has compiled their answers here to answer any questions that you might have:

Q1: What materials do you need for a camping adventure? (Tent, sleeping bag, first aid, etc)

Knowing what to bring can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you’re a camping with kids.. It’s always good to prepare ahead of time, rather than wait for the day before or even the day of your trip. Growing up, my family and I would go camping a few times a year with my friend Gregg’s family that we are close with. My mom and his mom, Karen, would get together a few weeks before and plan out everything we needed, the grocery list, and what sort of meals they’d be cooking while we were away. Pretty soon, they had a standard list that was used every time we went camping. Having a list can really help, Destination Nature has their own “don’t forget” list, too. Here it is:

Everyone had such great ideas on what to bring, it was hard to narrow them down! Here are a few other responses that can help you prepare your own packing list:

And of course, my mom couldn’t keep this one a secret…

Because, yes, I LOVED playing with my Barbie’s and having a small kids tent for them to live in while we were camping gave me a little fort away from home, and kept the boys from messing with them when I wasn’t looking!

Q2: What are your favorite camping foods & recipes?

Let’s be honest, we could go on and on for days about all of the amazing camping foods and recipes we’ve all acquired over the years and through our food boards on Pinterest; which made it even harder to narrow down to just a few. Have you ever heard of “Cooking in a Sack?” I sure hadn’t until StephJem Pyles gave us the lowdown on how it works:

Check out some of these other awesome camping foods, maybe you’ll be inspired to try them out, too!

Q3: Scary & spooky stories, s’mores, and star gazing… What are some fun games and activities for camping with kids are sure to love?

I would have to say that catching fireflies is probably one of my favorite things to do when I’m outside. There’s just something enchanting about watching them light up your jar at night for a few minutes and then letting them go again. But sometimes catching fireflies isn’t enough to catch the attention of our little ones running around the campsite or the kids that like to point out that there’s “nothing to do” on repeat.

What are your favorite camping activities? Share with us in the comments below or on our Facebook Page!

Q4. We all have accidents, scrape a knee, or bump our head in the dark. So what are some good safety tips to keep in mind while camping?

I can’t count how many times my parents have had to clean up a scraped knee, pull out a tick, or pile on the anti-itch cream when I would accidentally run through the only poison ivy by our campsite. Something is bound to happen, but it helps to be prepared.

With so many great ideas for camping safety, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have a safe and fun time whether you’re camping in your backyard, or at a local park. Buddy systems, whistles, and flashlights at night are great starts. Remember to always have your first aid kit well stocked before you go. You never know when that gauze or small band-aid will come in handy!

Camping with kids doesn’t need to be a big to-do; it should be fun and exciting for everyone in the family. If you’re not ready to take the little ones out into the woods for a camping trip, pitch a tent in the comfort of your own backyard. It’ll get them excited about the idea of camping and they’ll become more eager to go camping again in the future. There was always an adventure to be had when I was camping as a kid, sometimes their imagination is all they need when out in nature. Being prepared and having awesome snacks definitely helps to make camping with kids easy. For more information about Be Out There, www.beoutthere.org.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2013/06/camping-with-kids-made-easy-facebook-chat-recap/feed/081608A New Look at Easter: Nests, Eggs and Chickshttp://blog.nwf.org/2013/03/a-new-look-at-easter-bird-nests-eggs-and-chicks/
http://blog.nwf.org/2013/03/a-new-look-at-easter-bird-nests-eggs-and-chicks/#commentsSun, 31 Mar 2013 14:23:13 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=77437As birds gear up for spring egg-laying season, it’s an excellent time to learn about bird’s nests, eggs and chicks! This weekend I challenge you to celebrate the season and holiday by exploring the nature around you. I’d say reading this is a solid start.

Nests

I’m fascinated with all types of bird nests, and frankly I’m jealous of their craft. A favorite of mine, and the impressive, are the weaver birds primarily found in Sub-Saharan Africa. They make stunning nests by weaving (surprising, I know) grass and plant pieces together. Typically the male constructs a nest in an attempt to woo the ladies. The better the builder, the better the chances of finding a mate. I’ve included a video so you can watch a weaver bird at work! The nests are incredible, and I wish a weaver bird would make me one for Easter. All the kids would be jealous of my fancy basket.

Eggs

Many bird species lay their eggs in Spring. Their eggs come in all colors and sizes, and are pretty awesome. Some species lay eggs in quick succession, while others stagger the laying over the course of a few days. Either way, the group of eggs is called a clutch, and can include anywhere from 1 to 18 eggs! Ostrich eggs are the largest, and are the size of a medium cantaloupe. The smallest egg is laid by a bee hummingbird and, fittingly, is about the size of a bee. In addition to decorating eggs, kids can learn about bird eggs using common fruits and vegetables as a comparison in this activity.

(Left) Bluebird Eggs by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region and (Right) Lapwing Eggs by Flickr/–Tico–

…And Chicks

I told a friend of mine about all the cool eggs I found for this post. Her reply was, “yes, but Easter isn’t about the eggs, it’s about the surprises you find inside.” That is absolutely true for nature as well (Note: please give chicks a few weeks to actually get cute). Here are a few cute chicks with eggs.

Fun for Kids and Grownups

I know that now you are so excited about bird’s nests and eggs, you’d like to celebrate. It’s your lucky day. These are crafts, recipes and activities designed with Easter and Spring in mind. Have fun. I will be making the bunny hard-boiled egg snack.

Stem Fest 2012 T-shirts are on sale all week at the annual Tulip Time Festival in Holland, Michigan

Spring is in the air in Michigan. The birds are chirping, the bees are buzzing and the tulips… well, they’ve already bloomed. Their premature blossoming is causing trouble for the annual Tulip Time Festival in Holland, Michigan, and could point to a more worrisome trend of global climate change.

After an unseasonably warm March that saw temperatures soar to the mid-80s, trees flowered early and gardens everywhere got an unexpected splash of color. While few are bemoaning the mild winter (the 4th warmenst on record according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration), it left coordinators for the Tulip Festival scrambling for a way to celebrate the annual tulip blooms in the first week of May lacking much of the main attraction.

Their solution, a humorous one: Stem Fest 2012.

Black t-shirts and buttons were ordered depicting the flowerless stems and making light of the situation in hopes that festival goers would do the same.

While the Tulip Time Festival coordinators’ view of the situation is refreshing, the reasons for the predicament are troubling. The festival has been a staple of the Holland community for 83 years, and only recently have there been questions about timing.

It may seem like a small problem with an easy solution, have the festival earlier, but as the climate changes and ranges shift north, these small problems will begin to add up and affect not only people but wildlife as well. This year, the tulips bloomed early, but were the bees around to pollinate them? When the bees finally appear at their normal time, how much sustenance will be available for them? It’s a frightening cycle with potentially disastrous results.

Stem Fest 2012 might be a good way to make light of a tough situation, but the implications of global climate change are truly a cause for alarm.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2012/05/missing-tulips-point-to-climate-change/feed/056490Five Ways to Embrace Mud This Springhttp://blog.nwf.org/2012/03/mud/
http://blog.nwf.org/2012/03/mud/#commentsWed, 28 Mar 2012 20:15:14 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=50971My family is lucky because we have a frog pond behind our house. At this time of year, the frogs chirp very loudly every time there is rain or the temperature rises. This year we have a bounty of frog eggs to observe.

While the kids were out exploring the mud and observing frogs, I taped this video diary:

Have easy snacks pre-made by the door so they don’t have to go inside to eat.

Write a specific goal for an outdoor place you want to explore with your children.

And here’s a bonus tip if your kids are small and you need to stay handy. I bring a book or magazine to pass the time while I sit nearby. My husband brings his MP3 player and Sudoku. I’m trying to give them a true free hour without adults telling them how to play or how to learn, but I do want to keep them safe. So if I can keep my hands busy, I’m more likely to sit quietly and just let them do their thing.

Hopefully this video inspires you to be okay with mud and let the kids get knee-deep in it. They are learning and celebrating life!

Here are some resources to enhance your spring nature explorations:

Wildlife Watch – Get a customized list of wildlife for your area and report which wildlife you see.

National Wildlife Federation’s Storytelling Video Diary Series shares the candid tales of nine NWF staffers from around the country; armed with their cameras in the Great Lakes, California, South Dakota, the Pacific Northwest, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC, these nine staffers will share with you their individual trials, epiphanies and stories as they unfold in their daily adventures.

Young leaves greet spring along a stream in Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains

National Wildlife Federation Conservation Hall of Fame honoree Henry David Thoreau wrote in his journal on March 17, 1857, “No mortal is alert enough to be present at the first dawn of spring.” How right he was, given that the arrival of spring is not quite as perfectly defined as you might think.

The timing of spring in your region depends on a number of things, including local climate and where you live (spring and autumn switch time of year north and south of the equator).

Here are five ways to tell if spring is here where you live.

Astronomically: Spring begins at the March equinox in the northern hemisphere and at the September equinox in the southern. The equinox marks the date on which night and day are of equal length (12 hours) and is caused by the tilting of the northern hemisphere toward the sun as the planet speeds through its annual orbit. In northern temperate zones, the spring equinox occurs between March 19 and 23, changing from year to year because the tilt of the Earth and its relationship to the sun varies. Nevertheless, using the equinox to mark spring is a clear, objective way to say spring is here, independent of local variations.

Among Swedish meteorologists, spring is defined as occurring when the average daytime temperature lies above freezing for seven consecutive days, meaning that in Sweden, spring arrives at different times at different latitudes.

U.S. meteorologists may define spring as the period of transition from winter (defined as the three coldest months) to summer (the three hottest months), which means that meteorological spring generally runs from March1 to May 31, subject to climate variations.

Another definition of spring could be called the no-sno method, in which spring in a given area begins on the day when precipitation is likely to be rain rather than snow.

In some areas and cultures, the start of spring is marked by the blooming of certain plants or the appearance of certain animals, factors that are changing in the wake of global warming, indicating that spring is coming earlier in some areas. A spring arrival timed by the behavior of living things, to say nothing of the thawing of snow and frost, is bound to vary from year to year, affected as it is likely to be in some areas by factors such as El Niño and El Niña ocean currents, which bring warming and cooling trends respectively.

We think of spring as a time or rebirth and the promise of relief from cold, but it has its dark side. It is the season in which air masses cold from winter meet air masses warming from increased sunlight, which can result in tornadoes and violent thunderstorms. Spring in many areas is also a time of floods.

No matter. For most of us in temperate zones, spring is a time to revive and get outside. Thoreau again, in Chapter 17 of his book Walden: “One attraction in coming to the woods to live was that I should have leisure and opportunity to see the Spring come in.” Seasons may come and go, but our pleasure in greeting spring remains unchanged across the years.

I DID A DOUBLE TAKE when I passed the pond outside my office window this morning: activity! Dozens of frogs were moving about the water in the Certified Wildlife Habitat® at NWF’s headquarters in Reston, Virginia.

What signs of spring have you observed?

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2011/02/sign-of-spring-wood-frog-chorus/feed/81483010 Comments about Winter from Henry David Thoreauhttp://blog.nwf.org/2011/01/10-comments-about-winter-from-henry-david-thoreau/
http://blog.nwf.org/2011/01/10-comments-about-winter-from-henry-david-thoreau/#commentsThu, 06 Jan 2011 15:55:40 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/wildlifepromise/?p=11321Winter is here, as residents in various snowy, icy, frozen parts of the nation have noticed. For many people it is a bleak season, with the first day of winter marked by the longest night of the year. But there is promise in this period of extended nights; wrote English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?

Winter also can be a splendid season. Walking in a winter wonderland on a still, cold, crisp day can be refreshing, the silence of deep snow giving the lone hiker in woods or plain a sense of palpable solitude. Even the famously gruff New England poet Robert Frost, driving alone on the “darkest evening of the year” in a horse-drawn sleigh on some long-ago night, could not resist stopping to watch a woodland “fill up with snow” and to observe that “the woods are lovely, dark, and deep.”

Another New Englander, naturalist-philosopher Henry David Thoreau (a member of the NWF Conservation Hall of Fame), inscribed in his journal his often transcendently unique views on winter. Here are some of his perspectives, taken from The Thoughts of Thoreau, edited by Edwin Way Teale and published by Dodd, Mead and Company in 1962. All quotes are from Thoreau’s journal, with date of entry noted.

1. Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each. [ August 23, 1853]

2. Summer is gone with all its infinite wealth, and still nature is genial to man. Though he no longer bathes in the stream, or reclines on the bank, or plucks berries on the hills, still he beholds the same inaccessible beauty around him. [November 22, 1860]

3. The dry grasses are not dead for me. A beautiful form has as much life at one season as another. [November 11, 1850]

4. Nature now, like an athlete, begins to strip herself in earnest for her contest with her great antagonist Winter. In the bare trees and twigs what a display of muscle. [October 29, 1858]

5. Why do you flee so soon, sir, to the theaters, lecture-rooms, and museums of the city? If you will stay here awhile I will promise you strange sights. You shall walk on water; all these brooks and rivers and ponds shall be your highway. You shall see the whole earth covered a foot or more deep with purest white crystals . . . and all the trees and stubble glittering in icy armor. [October 18, 1859]

6. Is not January the hardest month to get through? When you have weathered that, you get into the gulfstream of winter, nearer the shores of spring. [February 2, 1854]

7. To us snow and cold seem a mere delaying of spring. How far we are from understanding the value of these things in the economy of Nature! [March 8, 1859]

8. Now, by 2 p.m., a regular snowstorm has commenced, fine flakes falling steadily, and rapidly whitening all the landscape. In half an hour the russet earth is painted white even to the horizon. Do we know of any other so silent and sudden a change? [November 28, 1858]

9. We are hunters pursing the summer on snowshoes and skates, all winter long. There is really but one season in our hearts. [December 6, 1856]

10. The sky appears broader now than it did. The day has opened its eyelids wider. The lengthening of the days, commenced a good while ago, is a kind of forerunner of spring. [Journal, February 19, 1852]